


never trust actors

by fullsan



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Denial of Feelings, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff, Getting Together, Getting to Know Each Other, Han Jisung | Han is a Panicked Gay, Kissing, Lee Minho | Lee Know is a Confident Gay, M/M, Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:15:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28262226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fullsan/pseuds/fullsan
Summary: Lee Minho was perfect, in all senses. Being an actor made him so hard to approach, too hard to reach, and if studying his degree taught him something it was that you can’t trust actors. Those who were usually given the main roles were the worst, and Jisung could make a long list about every little thing he hated about them. About what he hated about Minho. Maybe hate was a strong word. Jisung despised him, despite his friends praising him constantly and making him think that he liked Minho.There was absolutely no way he liked that stupid boy.
Relationships: Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know
Comments: 2
Kudos: 73
Collections: STAY CAROLS 2020





	never trust actors

“I hate my life.”

It was a short statement, which made his friends laugh. Jisung lifted his head from the table, grunting and glaring specifically at Seungmin.

“Look, Jisung, you are being too dramatic. There is nothing wrong with him.” Seungmin lifted his coke, drinking it maybe too fast. Jeongin gestured to him to lower it down or it won’t last their entire meal while Felix still laughed at Jisung’s comment, looking at his phone.

“Yes, and you are unable to see it because you are blinded by his beauty. Everything is wrong with him.” Jisung pointed his finger in an accusatory way to Seungmin, looking at his eyes, trying to be intimidating.

“I like his body, though. He has a good shape,” Felix added, shifting in his seat and showing the phone to Jeongin, “I wonder if he goes to the gym or something.” Jeongin nodded, mumbling something Jisung didn’t quite catch.

“I can’t believe you are betraying me like this, Felix.”

“Well, I guess God has favorites after all,” Jeongin said, taking the phone away from Felix now that he had his mouth and hands free. “Isn’t he the one who actually got a role in a drama last year?”

“Yeah, and that is why he is so damn popular.” Jisung now sipped his bubble tea, missing the taste of the sugar. He could never get tired of bubble tea.

“At least he has his future secured, let’s pray he isn’t an asshole,” Seungmin talked again, guiding them back to their original conversation before Felix started talking about his body again.

“He has to be. All actors are assholes, full of themselves, stupid narcissists.” Jisung shifted from his drink to his untouched plate of ramen, hungry and tired from his morning classes.

“Are you sure? Because I am tired of hearing good things about Lee Minho.”

He wanted to complain, to make Jeongin shut up and argue back that Lee Minho wasn’t that awesome boy everyone thought he was, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t, because he knew that Minho was everything but an asshole. Even though Jisung hated Lee Minho. 

It was something sudden, a feeling he just got as soon as his professor for Cinema Production explained the project they were going to get involved with. He should have suspected something back then in July when he signed up for a course which had double credits despite having an apparent normal content. He already did some assignments, but he definitely didn’t want to get involved with recording a whole movie and collaborating with some students of Acting.

He was excited at first despite the amount of work he knew that would be coming for the following months. The project was nice, they just had to stick to a previously written script which Jisung personally loved, his mind full of ideas of shots and backgrounds they could use easily, but all his happiness was erased away as soon as his professor made him the director.

Jisung had a 2% of possibilities of becoming the director if it was chosen randomly, or none if they were chosen by elections, probably Renjun or Seungmin would gladly take the job like they did last year with a small project but no. Professor Park took his time in explaining how he decided Jisung should be the director since his last project was the best of the class, finding a perfect balance of image and colors, making him blush and hide his face from his classmates.

It was a big compliment and honor, yeah. Jisung dreamt of being able to direct a project and doing the things in the way he wanted to, the way he wished, not having to follow other’s orders and filming scenes he thought would be better if they were from another angle or filmed in another way. It was great, but also a burden. Jisung didn’t believe he was worthy of the title right now, and much less of the weight of such a big project. It wasn’t just a small project, it was of a big importance for his next year and also influenced the Drama’s students' grade. 

He wasn’t ready for all those responsibilities, and even less for having to interact with all the people who were involved in the project. He liked to do his things alone, and if he had to work in a group he liked to keep it between his friends. After the switch in Seungmin’s personality last year, Jisung definitely didn’t want to be the director. Still, he thanked the professor for allowing him to have such an honor, and sat back.

However, Seungmin’s hand in his thigh wasn’t enough support for what came next. He had to work with Lee Minho. It wasn’t a new name, even if Jisung used to stay away from everything in university that didn’t involve his best friends. It was hard not to know about Minho. He was tall, slim but well-built, with quite a long brown hair. He was handsome and Jisung wasn’t blind. And if he was about to tell the absolute truth, he had never seen anyone as handsome as him. His eyes were big and sparkly, making his face a piece of art. Jisung found that what he liked the most about Minho was his moles, or his nose. Probably the mole he had in his nose. 

Lee Minho was perfect, in all senses. He was also well-known for being stupidly nice and kind. There was a rumor about him sponsoring a child in need, another about him working in an animal shelter and another about him feeding stray cats at night. Jisung didn’t like any of them. It made him so perfect, so hard to approach, too hard to reach. Minho was everything Jisung wished for someone, if they all were true, but if studying his degree taught him something it was that you can’t trust actors. 

Those who were usually given the main roles were the worst: a big ego, the necessity of being the center, and Jisung could make a long list about every little thing he hated about them. That was why he couldn’t trust Lee Minho. Some of his classmates already worked with him, he saw him in some screenings and, God, he even got casted for a real web drama in Spring. 

Maybe hate was a strong word. Minho didn’t do anything bad to Jisung. Yet. Or to his friends… Yet. Jisung despised him though.

“It sounds to me like you feel the complete opposite for him, Jiji,” said Jihoon, not even bothering to look at his friend in the kitchen, making himself a coffee at 11 am. Jisung turned back in an instant, catching how his roommate bent down and continued doing exercise. 

“What?” 

“Yeah, like, you described him like a God.” 

Jisung rested his back on the counter, sighing and trying to recall about every word he said to him. Jisung was sure he expressed disgust, rejection, and negative emotions over all. He thought Jihoon knew him more than that, frowning and approaching him. If he was about to be honest to himself, yeah, he described Minho as a God but later on he said that was the fact that infuriated him the most. Maybe talking to Jihoon wasn’t the smartest decision of his week.

“Well, I think I made it clear I hate him, Ji.”

“And I told you that I know you, you like him, Jiji,” Jihoon said, looking at Jisung while he let himself sit on the floor. Jisung catched how he stopped the video on the TV, but he didn’t feel bad for interrupting his friend’s Sunday session of pilates. “I am sure he is your type, show me a pic.” Jihoon didn’t know about Jisung’s type at all (even if he indeed had a type), because if he knew better, Jihoon would know he is also Jisung’s type. 

Jisung stopped looking at the heart-shaped mole below Jihoon’s right eye, frowning again and grabbing his phone to look up for a picture. “I don’t like him, stupid,” he replied back, trying to find a picture that expressed what Jisung wanted Jihoon to see.

It wasn’t that hard to find, Jisung had more pictures of Minho on his phone that he would like to admit, but he had to make it look like he was actually searching for them online. Jihoon wouldn’t shut up about it. He looked up quickly, checking how Jihoon got back to his exercises effortlessly. 

Jihoon had dark pink hair now, which made his golden skin stand out. If they didn’t argue like cat and dog the first year they were sharing the dorm, Jisung was sure he could have developed a big, fat and ugly crush on him. Jihoon was sort of a prankster, sometimes funny and very fond of bad jokes; Jisung had it hard at first to identify when Jihoon was messing up with him, when he was laughing at him or when he was talking seriously with him. Most of the time, he endured it and laughed out of pity, hugged him and cuddled watching a movie, but outside the doors of his dorm, Jihoon was the same one Jisung met 3 years ago. He had a sassy attitude, the one which Jisung hated, and he was so sure of himself it made Jisung want to puke. He had a big facade, one of a cool guy, but that was the part he wanted to show. He was hardworking and intelligent, but also dumb. Still, Jisung learned how Jihoon really was, and he would pick a fight for him if it was needed.

He was protective of his friends, and a sucker for compliments and always throwing pick up lines, being always the mood-maker. Jihoon loved Jisung, and maybe he wouldn’t pick up a fight like Jisung would, but he cared about him in other ways: in how he made food for both of them, in how he learned his schedule or picked him up from work, in how he embraced him when he was feeling down without asking for it, in how he held his hand or protected him at parties, or in how he just listened to him even when he was complaining about how he dropped his cookie and wanted to cry. 

“See?” Jisung called back for Jihoon’s attention, ignoring how he had his back bent on the ugly purple ball he used for the exercises. He continued talking, even if Jihoon wasn’t looking at the picture, “You can see his stupidity in that smug face. In his eyes. Just seeing his face makes something inside me curl.”

Jihoon looked at his phone and whistled, pushed aside the ball and sat next to Jisung. He laughed, looking at Jisung and then Minho again, “They are called butterflies Jiji,” Jihoon ignored his friend’s pout to ruffle his hair, and continued talking, “It is obvious you are attracted to him, but you don’t want to admit it. Because you are sure all actors are asholes, like you thought about me first.”

“Well, they are, and you,” he replied, pointing out at him, “are too. But actors are real assholes. Like Na.”

“Jaemin is different,” Jihoon says, giving Jisung his phone back and lying on the floor. “He acts like that because he knows that it upsets people, and you hated him because he flirted with you while you were working.”

“He gave me a big headache, and it wasn’t funny, don’t laugh. Just because he’s your friend you shouldn’t defend him.”

“Okay, give me more examples.” Jihoon sat down again, looking directly at Jisung. He thought for a while, and opened his mouth. His friend cut him off. ”No rumors.” Jisung frowned again, trying to ignore the stupid smile he was making. “Only people you’ve worked with.”

“Look, Jihoon, leave it. I don’t even know why I am having this conversation with you.” Jisung got up, locking his phone and returning to finish making his coffee.

“Because you love me, and because you know I am the only one able to see that behind that annoyance, you like him. You can’t fool me, Jiji.”

No one said anything for a while, and Jisung drank his coffee resting in the kitchen counter. It was cold on his feet, thinking about how he should start wearing socks or buy a pair of new indoors shoes, while he listened to Jihoon grunting and stretching himself. It was actually funny to watch now that he wasn’t joining him. 

Jisung let Jihoon’s words sink in his head, wondering if he really liked Minho, or if he was his type at all. He was handsome, he had moles, he had a pretty smile, had a good body, and Jisung knew he wasn’t going to list again all the Lee-Minho-things he hated.

“It is… Annoying, how he seems to be good at everything.”

Jihoon stopped drinking water and focused his attention on Jisung, again. He smiled and then Jisung sensed it, how this time Jihoon’s aim wasn’t annoying him or joking about how he may like Minho; it was Jihoon and him trying to comfort him, to tell him that he would give him time if he needed it, and that he would be there. “I don’t see where the problem is, Jiji. You didn’t even talk to him yet, right?”

“Yeah… We’re meeting on Monday”

“Do you have that class on Monday?” 

He doubted for a second, thinking really hard about his timetable. He wasn’t sure, but he remembered the meeting being at 5, and he didn’t have any class at 5. He shaked his head. “After class then?” Jisung nodded and finished his coffee.

“Only to read the scripts and make sure everyone knows what they have to do, I don’t want to fix any mess later,” he said, leaving the mug into the sink, filling it with water.

“You and your virgo ass,” replied Jihoon, laughing, “don’t you have to work?”

“Free day. I have to work today in exchange.” Jihoon nodded, acknowledging now why Jisung was up and drinking coffee at learly lunch time.

“Everything is going to be okay, Jisung. Trust me.”

“I hope so, Jihoon.” 

Both smiled, looking to the other. Jisung was glad to have someone like Jihoon, to have Jihoon. He could do it, he had to do it, and he will.

“Want to order chicken for lunch?”

It was horrible, and Jisung met all his expectations — Minho was insufferable. He listened well to his instructions, he was nice to everyone, asked questions about his character and his environment, read the novel and watched all the adaptations, even those uploaded to youtube made by students like them. Jisung really wanted to continue hating him, to despise him, so that is what he did. 

One week of recordings in, and Jisung was so tired he just wished to die. He had to walk with his notebook below his arm, thousands of notifications on his phone every hour, trying to balance this assignment with the rest of the semester. In addition to that, he had to work. Working in Chan’s Café was nice, it wasn’t an excessive amount of work, he could study in between and he had a good relationship with both his boss and the other worker. The real reason he met Chan and Changbin was completely different from working in a 80s themed café, but he was content with it. 

He let himself fall at the counter, taking advantage of that there were no customers, and Changbin stopped cleaning tables to look at him. 

“Rough day, Jisungie?”

“Rough week, hyung. I am exhausted and we just started.”

“Now that you mention it, I already thought about some songs that could work with the scene you asked me about.” Changbin proceeded to take out his phone and searched for it, making Jisung wake up from his short break and walk until he was next to his friend. 

Changbin was handsome as always, his hair tied in a tiny ponytail and sharp eyes. He was shorter than Jisung by just a few centimetres, dark straight hair and puffy cheeks. His voice was unique too, deep but still sweet, and he was capable of rapping so well, in a way as natural as breathing. Jisung had it hard when they met, totally mesmerized by the small boy on the stage, surrounded by lights and sparkling. But inside of his tough appearance, Changbin was the sweetest person he ever met. 

“Do you like it? I think it could go very well with the atmosphere, when they look at each other’s eyes or something like that.” Changbin gestured with his hands when the song stopped playing, Jisung looking at him with a smile. He felt so lucky his friend was able to compose music, to create new sounds and make something inside people bloom. He wished he learnt to do that, to keep on following what was once his dream, but he chose not to. 

“Yes, I think it could work. Do you mind if I use it? I’ll have to ask those who are in charge of the music but I think they will like it.”

“Of course, I made it for you, Jisung, I would love it if you use it.”

“Thank you, hyung.”

“So? How is it with that boy you hate so much?” Changbin sat down in the table they were talking next to, signaling to Jisung to take a rest too.

“I hate it. I ended up being in charge of him, since I am the director and he is the main character. He asks me a lot about what he should or should not do, stops the recording whenever he wants, asks me if he can change certain dialogues and things like that. It is… Infuriating.” Jisung sighed, thinking about the smile Minho directed at him everytime he paused the recording to go and ask him if he was doing okay, if he looked nice on screen or if his performance was of his liking. 

“Come on, he couldn’t be that bad,” Changbin said, laughing. He sounded like a funny guy to work with, but thought that Jisung was way too stressed. For a moment, his smile dropped just to come back and raised an eyebrow. “Maybe he is just hitting on you, since you look so cute when you’re angry.”

“He better not.”

“You said he was handsome, right?”

“Stupidly so.” Jisung looked away, murmuring.

“How was his name again?”

“Minho.”

Changbin’s eyes widened, resting his back in the chair and looking at Jisung. He said nothing for a while, just blinking. Jisung supposed he was thinking about something, until he talked again. 

“Lee?” 

“Yeah, Lee Minho.” Changbin nodded, tearing his gaze away from Jisung. The latter didn’t like the reaction, a crazy thought crossing his head. “What, do you know him or something?” 

It wouldn’t surprise Jisung if Changbin did. He knew a lot of people thanks to the café, and thanks to his other job. And if he didn’t, Chan probably did. However, Changbin scoffed and tried to keep it cool. Jisung didn’t know if he should believe him or not.

“I saw his drama. He IS handsome, Jisung. Don’t be dumb.”

“He is the dumb one, walking with that face!” Jisung sat down again, crossing his arms and continued talking, “And he does everything so well! He apparently has a nice personality, but I know he is hiding something. I don’t like him.”

“I see.” Changbin nodded, and stood there looking at nothing for a while. Jisung waited for something else, but it never came. “Let’s go back to work before Chan arrives.”

“What? You are not.. Going to comment on what I said?”

Changbin stopped on his way to the counter, ready to make himself his third coffee today. “Why should I?”

Jisung looked back at Changbin, not sure about what to say. He was used to his friends adding that he liked Minho, that he isn’t as bad as he was painting him, that he could be a decent human being and that Jisung was just being petty; but Changbin said nothing. 

“Oh, nothing… Sorry.”

The bell rang, and both greeted the new customers, asking them where they would like to sit.

“Jisung.”

Jisung crossed out something in his notebook, ready to bite whoever dared to interrupt him while everyone was resting. He was just living on a sandwich, 4 hours of sleep and 5 classes later, and that was it: Jisung was okay. He had to stay from three to five, and later go to work. He could do it.

That was his thinking, and for a week it worked just fine. After all, he wasn’t too much needed, they just needed his presence. He had to watch, to check the scene was just like he wanted it to be. It was tiring, though. He had to have everything under control, everything had to be perfectly controlled, or he would lose his mind. Jisung closed his eyes before looking up.

“Ye-” His words died in his throat and he just nodded, closing his mouth and observing how Minho was in front of him, one coffee on each hand. He was wearing casual clothes, since he wasn’t acting today. In fact, he shouldn’t even be there, but he was, and to add on, he was talking to Jisung.

His focus switched to the eyeliner Minho was wearing today, some sparkles under his eyebags and pink lipstick. His lips looked so pretty, and Jisung found himself thinking if he should change the make-up Minho usually used when he was recording to the one he was wearing now. Jisung gulped, remembering he was talking and offering him (probably) a coffee. 

“I bought this for you, you look tired,” Minho said, and gestured to Jisung to take the coffee. He smiled, just like Jisung was now used to seeing him everyday on the screens.

“I’m okay.” Jisung looked back at the scene being recorded, checking the dialogues with his script.

“You don’t look okay.”

“And you care because?”

Someone shushed at them, Jisung apologizing immediately and frowning when Minho giggled. He didn’t like that comment at all. Minho doesn’t know him, so why does he need to comment on how he looks? He is okay. He is doing okay.

“Pretty boys don’t deserve to look that sad,” Minho replied, offering again the coffee. “I liked your enthusiasm on the first day.”

Jisung scoffed, but took it anyway, looking back at Minho at the same time he raised an eyebrow.

“Really? Well, thanks; this is the real Jisung though. I am sorry I cannot afford to have a perfect face like yours every moment of my day.”

Minho’s eyes widened, taking a sip of his coffee before grinning from ear to ear. Jisung tried to ignore the reaction the older made, tried to ignore how his own words sound on his head. He wanted to bite back, to make him feel bad, but that can be misunderstood. He said Minho had a perfect face, in front of Minho. He felt his ears burning and the need of running away, hiding forever in a place he wouldn’t need to keep talking to Minho.

“Are you flirting, beautiful? Because I think I am getting mixed signals here.”

“What?” Jisung got up off the chair, coffee and script on hand, and Minho couldn’t help but smile at the sight of his reddened face. “I’m not!”

He didn’t reply anything, just observed him for a few seconds and proceeded to watch the scene his friend Hyunjin was recording. Jisung breathed in, content now that the attention was directed to someone else, and sat next to Minho again. He took a sip of the coffee, surprised at the familiar taste.

It was his usual order, from Chan’s Café, the coffee he made to himself every single day during work. Why did Minho know what he liked to order, and of all places, from Chan’s Café? He looked at Minho, still debating whether he should ask him directly or thank him for the coffee. Or both.

Jisung sheltered within his big hoodie, hiding half of his face on it. Minho was nice, and he even bought him coffee. His favorite coffee. He was trying so hard with the movie, and Jisung was just… Stressed. Minho tried to talk to him multiple times during other sessions, but this was the first time it wasn’t work related. Maybe he should give him an opportunity. 

“Are you...” He started, claiming Minho’s attention. His head turned immediately, and his reaction reminded him of a cat. His eyes sparkled in the darkness of the room, big and brown, looking at him and waiting for Jisung to continue talking. He was breathtaking, indeed. Jisung would never say that to his friends. “Do you enjoy the plot? Are you comfortable playing your character?”

“Oh my God Jisung, you said to him WHAT?” Jihoon laughed loudly, catching the attention of some kids that were playing near them. Jisung slapped his arm, filling his cheeks with air and furrowing his eyebrows.

“Don’t laugh! I panicked okay!”

“If Minho is as bad as you told me he is, then it wouldn’t have surprised you, right? He is flirty, he knows he is handsome.”

“Yeah, that is the thing, I am sure he was the one joking. I didn’t think about my reply.”

“He brought you coffee, Jiji.”

“You bought me coffee last week, Jiji.”

“I am your best friend! What is he? Your future boyfriend?”

Jisung stopped walking and looked at Jihoon like he wanted to strangle him right there in the middle of the park. 

“Fuck off. I’m going home. Good luck looking like a loser taking pictures alone.”

He turned away, not caring about his friend complaining or blackmailing him with dinner. Jisung wasn’t spending his free evening in a while helping Jihoon with his photography project to be slandered like that. He had a moment of weakness, so what? What could he do, with that beautiful and stupid face in front of him, smiling and offering him his favorite coffee? Say no?

Jisung stopped on his tracks just when Jihoon stopped complaining, missing something in their dynamics, and when he looked back his friend was standing in the middle of the track, looking at something in the distance.

“Jihoon?”

“Hm, Jiji, isn’t that… Seungmin?” Jihoon lifted his camera and took a picture, looking immediately at it. Jisung put aside his tantrum to squint his eyes and look at the couple a few benches away. His eyes widened, trying to figure out or, better said, identify, who was hanging out with him and why he was smiling like an idiot. 

Jisung never saw Seungmin laugh like that, not once, and they’ve known each other since forever. He rushed next to Jihoon, looking at the same picture he was zooming it, identifying the other person as no other than Hwang Hyunjin. 

Hwang Hyunjin, Minho’s best friend and the second male lead in his movie. The actor he assigned to Seungmin, the one who Seungmin accepted with a long face. He complained about Hyunjin for a few days, saying he was so self-centered and only cared about how he looked on screen, wore expensive clothes and invaded his personal space constantly. Jisung was so busy in his own world that he didn’t pay attention when those complaints stopped, and never cared enough to observe them.

Jihoon laughed, finally recognizing Hyunjin and getting ready to take another picture. He excused himself saying that they were for the project, but Jisung wouldn’t blame him if he used them later for blackmailing. They were sitting next to the other, holding hands and looking at each other like there was no one else in the world. It felt great to know Seungmin was so comfortable with someone out of their bubble, but something inside Jisung’s chest pinched him. He took his phone out and wrote to their group chat.

**mean boys (5)**

**Jisung**

Seungmin

What are you doing

**Felix uwu <3**

?

Dude

He said he had plans with his parents or something like that

Scroll up

**Jeongin evil baby**

Yeah

Wait

<Quoted Message.>

.

There

**Jiji ☆**

@Puppy why did you lie

Jisung looked up when Jihoon took his hand, walking to a close bench and sitting down. He glanced again at the couple, eyes widening and holding Jihoon’s hand tightly when Seungmin kissed Hyunjin. Jihoon squinted, bit his lips trying to keep quiet, and Jisung wondered how he managed to stay still and not try to sneak a pic. His phone vibrated twice, bringing him back to the real word, watching how Hyunjin was engulfing Seungmin in a hug.

**Felix uwu <3**

What? 

Hey Jihoon

?????

Hello?

Mind replying?

**Jeongin evil baby**

Both went offline lol

Weren’t they together?

**Felix uwu <3**

Yes but

??

Why did they say that and leave

**Jeongin evil baby**

Idk 

Ask them

@Peter Pan @Tinkerbell what are you up to

**Jiji ☆**

Why do you still have me as Tinkerbell in your phone

**Jisung**

Why do you assume you’re Tinkerbell

It may be me >:(

**Jeongin evil baby**

Do you cry if we don’t give you attention?

**Jisung**

I might

**Jiji ☆**

Oh my God FOCUS

@Puppy you have 1 chance before we tell them what we saw

**Jeongin evil baby**

What did you see?

**Felix uwu <3**

Can you STOP I am trying to watch Sabrina

What’s wrong with you

**Satan’s favorite boy**

Why are you spamming the gc omg

Wait

????

ARE YOU SPYING ON ME?

**Jisung**

WHY WERE YOU KISSING HWANG HYUNJIN!!!!!!

**Felix uwu <3**

HE DID WHAT

Jihoon laughed, watching how the group chat started questioning what Jisung said. He started laughing too, forgetting that they were in the same place as Seungmin and, considering that it was a Sunday evening and that they were almost alone in the whole park, it shouldn’t take him much to find them. 

“Han Jisung!”

Both stopped, getting up and with intentions of starting running hand in hand, not even glaring to see how close Seungmin was, or to consider how Hyunjin was by his side laughing too, grabbing them by the coat and forcing them to stay still.

“Are you following me?”

“Hello to you too, Minmin.”

“Don’t Minmin me, you assholes,” Seungmin crossed his arms, and Hyunjin stood by his side with a tremulous smile, playing with his own hands and unsure about what he should do next. “Have the decency to wait until my date is over, at least.”

“So, is it a date?” Jihoon signaled them both a few times, making Hyunjin laugh again and Jisung sighed. He couldn’t believe what his eyes were seeing. Seungmin was siding with the enemy: actors. 

“Hi, I’m Hyunjin. I think we never saw each other before,” Hyunjin said, offering his hand to Jihoon. He took it and shook it, bending a little to show respect to Hyunjin. 

“I’m Jihoon, Jisung’s roommate.”

“Cool. I know our director, of course.”

“We never talked, though.”

“You two don’t need to talk at all,” Seungmin said, taking Hyunjin’s hand and looking directly at Jisung’s eyes. He was serious, frowning, not flinching even a little bit. “Don’t write to the group until I arrive home. I’ll text you. I promise.”

Jisung wanted to believe him, but something inside of him wanted to fight Seungmin for hiding the fact that he had a date - and hiding it to his group too - right there, not caring about said date being with them. He sighed, giving them his back and calling Jihoon to continue with their work. “Whatever, Seungmin. Have fun.”

“It just… Happened, okay? He asked me out, and he is cute. Very fun. I enjoy spending time with him. A lot. He is… Very nice.”

Jisung sighed for the nth time in the set, watching Minho looking through a window with a sad face. He could compliment him, go and appreciate him for the effort of looking sad at nothing and imagining that there should be snow falling, but he couldn’t give him all the attention he wanted to since Seungmin thought that the set would be the best place to explain to Jisung what’s been happening between him and Hyunjin for a month. 

“Isn’t he an asshole, like most actors?”

“He isn’t. I didn’t take a lot to discover that he was faking everything at first, trying to impress me and appeal to me with overconfidence and overwhelming self-love. As soon as he learnt that I hated everything about that, he switched to a lost puppy in need of love.”

“Oh my God, I can’t believe I have to hear you saying those things. Can anybody wake me up and tell me everything is a dream?”

Seungmin laughed, reaching to his friend and holding his hand. 

“I think I like him, Jisung. A lot.”

Jisung gulped, looking at his friend. Seungmin never admitted things like that easily, and less between them. It was like a silent agreement both made once in highschool where showing your feelings openly like that meant that you were weak, that you were giving yourself to someone else, and Jisung was scared of that. He thought Seungmin was too, but apparently he was wrong. He wanted to complain, to question his friend and ask him for details, but he also wanted to give him time. It was the first time, for both, after all. 

So, he did what he did best: avoiding the topic and giving him reassurance in other ways. He smiled, squeezing his hand and giggled a little. “So, what is next? You are going to say Minho’s amazing and that I should stop hating him because he is your boyfriend's best friend?”

Seungmin’s face lighted up, probably happy because his friend didn’t question his feelings or repudiate them. He accepted them, and even joked about it. He was glad to have someone like Jisung in his life. “Now that you mention it, yeah...”

Both laughed, getting away from the other as soon as they heard Felix calling them and saying that the scene was finished. 

Jisung stayed at the studio even after everyone left, and decided to revise the scenes they recorded today and check if they were the ones he was looking for. It was the price he had to pay for ignoring his work while it was happening, deciding that pumping Seungmin with questions about how Hyunjin kissed was way more interesting than Minho recording some of his solo scenes. 

He watched the boy on the screen, eyes flickering and getting lost in the distance. He looked like a painting, like someone made him so beautifully and with care, an artwork that took years to be finished, and Jisung was endeared with it. It was these moments in which he could be honest with himself, glad of the chance of watching Minho act like that with his own eyes. He reached out to touch the screen, letting his fingers linger in Minho’s white skin.

“Jisung?”

He screamed, not thinking that there was anyone left in the studio, protecting his head instinctively with both of his arms and almost falling off the chair. His companion sounded like laughing, but switched in a flash to worry. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to scare you. Are you okay?”

Jisung never felt more embarrassed in his life, not daring to get back to his previous position and face the intruder: Lee Minho. How could he, when the latter discovered him looking at his scene in the screen, touching his face and probably looking like an idiot? Jisung wanted to cry. 

“Hey, Jisung...?”

Minho touched his shoulder, and Jisung relaxed. He breathed in, out, and tried to push aside all the shame he was feeling. He changed his position, finally daring to look at Minho. He was looking at him with a warm sight, as if he was telling Jisung that it was okay, that he wasn’t going to hurt him. Jisung couldn’t deal with the eye contact, so he looked away and focused again on the Minho of the screen. 

“Are you… Revising my acting?”

He sat down next to him, and Jisung’s shoulder felt cold for a moment. Jisung nodded even though he knew Minho wasn’t looking, not brave enough to try to talk yet. He was a hundred percent sure nothing coherent could go out of his mouth right now. 

“How was it? I… I was really nervous about this scene. I think it is the most important one.”

Jisung appreciated how Minho’s ears turned pink, his hand on the back of his head and him now avoiding eye contact. It made him happy, in a way, to know that Minho is insecure about his acting and that he needs reassurance - that he needs Jisung’s approval.

“Oh, you… You did great, awesome, in fact,” he said, pointing out Minho’s face on the screen just like he was doing before Minho interrupted him. “See this way your eyes are shining? That is the feeling I was looking for. It makes the watcher wonder what he is thinking about, is he regretting letting his best friend date that boy? Is he in love with her?” Minho was looking at Jisung, his eyes shining as he was talking about the story and how it worked so well, feeling appreciated and reassured, knowing he made the small director happy. “Also, the angle is perfect. I know this side is your best side, it makes your jaw more defined and your eyelashes can be seen perfectly.” Minho giggled, focusing now on the screen and how right Jisung was. “Well, this scene is incomplete, we still need the snow, you know? I am sure it will be so beautiful in the end… I am so excited.”

“I can tell.”

“Oh.” Jisung noticed how he got carried, talking alone for a while and probably boring Minho. He just wanted Jisung to tell him that he did good, not a full essay about how handsome he looked there or how his eyes shone. “Sorry, I didn’t mean...”

“No, no, it’s just that…” Minho gulped, apparently nervous now. He had to be careful, cherishing that moment with Jisung. “It’s the first time you talk like that around me. You’re being all cute and sweet, it’s making me want to kiss you.”

“W-what?” Jisung got startled, almost falling to the floor. He felt his cheeks burning, finding Minho looking at him with a satisfied smirk and daring to look directly at his eyes. “W-w-... What did you say?”

It was stupid, how nervous he got in a moment. He wasn’t supposed to act like that, and Minho was definitely not flirting with him.

“Would you like me to whisper it in your ear?”

Minho got closer to him, their faces now a few inches a way. He was determined to whisper it again, but Jisung didn’t know if he could handle it again; so he got up, grabbed his things in a rush and runned towards the door. He crashed with some things on his way, making Minho laugh.

“I-I have to go! See you tomorrow!”

Neither of them mentioned it during the week, limiting their interactions to questions about the scenes and Hyunjin and Seungmin. Jisung took extra care to avoid being left alone with Minho, but the older kept trying to get closer to Jisung. He didn’t know if he hinted somewhere that he felt something for Minho, or that he liked him - maybe it was in the way he looked at him while he acted, in the way Jisung talked about Minho and tried to convince himself that he despised him, or in the way he knew exactly where Minho’s moles were in his face. 

They were filming what Jisung considered the one of the best scenes of the movie: Nick, Minho’s character, was confessing to his best friend, Samantha, that he had been in love with her since forever and that he hated the idea of spending Christmas without her. She would act shocked at first, not knowing how to reply to him, but in the end after a few lines of talking, she kisses him and they both experiment kissing the other. 

It should be easy. Knowing Minho’s record, and the amount of scenes he filmed, this was nothing for him. They just had to kiss once, then smile and then kiss slowly for a few seconds. After that, they had to hug and the camera would fade off as Nick pushed Sam to the wall in order to gain support. In theory, it was easy. Jisung knew he could do it without problems too, so that was why he didn’t understand what was so difficult for Minho.

“Okay, what is happening here? This is the sixth time we are recording this.” Jisung walked right in front of Minho, and Sam’s actress excused herself for a while. The whole team dissolved, taking for granted that they were having a break. Minho shrugged, walking until he reached his bottle of water. “Minho.”

“Oh, it’s the first time you call me by my name.” Jisung crossed his arms, not content with now Minho was avoiding the topic. “But it would be better if you added the _hyung_.”

“What is wrong with this scene? It isn’t even a kiss.”

Jisung stepped closer to Minho, but he didn't back up. Minho stepped closer to, both looking at each other directly in the eyes. His expression switched to one of discomfort, frowning and pointing at Jisung.

“It’s more difficult than you think, okay? I am trying to put myself in Nick’s shoes and I think I could die if this happened to me.”

“You’re being dramatic.”

Jisung sighed, closing his eyes and wanting to hit his head with the wall multiple times. He couldn't believe Minho was giving him that stupid excuse, because both knew Minho wouldn't die if he was in a situation like this one. Jisung would even swear that Minho would be the one jumping at the girl's arms, kissing her just as he confessed.

“You too. I can’t do perfectly all the scenes like, always, you know.”

He pouted, eyeing at Jisung as if he said something hurtful at him. It didn't work, though. “But this is a kiss! I saw your other kiss scenes, why aren’t you doing it like I want to? Where is the confidence you had the other day?”

“The other day?” Minho asked, daring to take a step closer. He was smirking, as if he was defying Jisung. If this was the usual Jisung, he would panic at the closeness, push him and avoid any kind of contact; but this Jisung, the director of a project which was worth his career, inflated his chest and took the step left between them. 

“You claimed that you wanted to kiss me so confidently, but now it's me the one who has to teach you how to kiss or something?”

“Ohh,” Minho kept that stupid smile, crossing his arms now and relaxing his body, stablishing a new distance between them. Jisung won, at least. He returned the smile and got ready to continue talking about how easy it is to make the scene, how he wasn't asking Minho for a full make out with the girl, but Minho didn't finish there. “Please teach me how you want me to make it, then.”

Minho was now pressing his forehead to Jisung, looking at his soul directly. If he was pretty, Jisung couldn't find words that would explain Minho's beauty up close. His eyelashes seemed to be longer than they were, his big orbes staring at him like he was casting a spell, and the light make up on his eyes. He couldn't look away, he couldn't think about a coherent reply, too overwhelmed by the moment. He gulped. 

“I-I’ve never kissed anyone.”

He was lying, but Minho didn’t need to know that.

“Would you like to?”

It was like a whisper, making Jisung shiver. Minho wanted to kiss him, that was for sure. Jisung let the thought sink in his head, realizing that Minho could be doing everything on purpose. He pushed Minho slightly, enough to let the air run between them again. 

“No! Why would I want to kiss y-you!”

“I’ve never said anything about kissing me.” Minho sounded amused, tickling his head to the side. Jisung couldn't deal with his boy. “Do you feel something for me?”

"I feel nothing for you. Absolutely nothing!"

"Is that so?" He continued asking, which only irritated Jisung more. 

"Yep, nothing." 

It was probably of no use saying that, as Minho wasn't dumb. Jisung's blush across his cheeks could be noticeable even from the other side of the room, but who could blame him? Not everyday you have the Lee Minho asking to kiss you, face to face. His mind was running out of excuses to say, of how he could run out of that situation without making himself an idiot or to turn it away to the only topic he was confident about, but the boy in front of him had another idea. 

Minho took one step towards Jisung, still with a smirk on his face. Their foreheads touched slightly, their noses rubbed for a second, and Jisung closed his eyes. Minho giggled, and the next thing Jisung felt was Minho's hand on his hair, disheveling it. "Relax princess. I am not going to jump on you, not until you ask me to anyway."

And with that, Minho turned away. Jisung's legs felt like jelly, afraid he would fall at any moment. 

He still hated Lee Minho.

“I can’t fucking believe he called me princess.”

Jihoon would usually laugh, laugh until his lungs hurt and scream on Jisung's face that he deserved it, that he warned him about Minho, but instead they were laying together on his bed, taking care of their faces with a mask. He knew Jisung wasn't enjoying the situation, clearly stressed by both his project and Minho. He offered his hand for his friend to hold it, trying to ease some of said tension. 

“Please, you can’t deny that he is flirting with you. And I am not joking anymore. You know it too, right?”

“Yeah, that makes me… So nervous. I keep stuttering, or messing up sentences around him, and I need to stop before they start thinking I may like him.”

“Don't you?"

“I don’t.”

“Jisung.”

“What? I don’t!" He got up, sitting on the bed and observing how calm Jihoon was, eyes closed and an indescifrable expression. "We have had this conversation already! He is nice, he buys me coffee, he flirts with me and he acts nice, is stupidly nice and he worries about me, but that doesn’t mean I like him!”

"Can you please take a moment to listen to yourself?" Jisung felt judged, even though Jihoon was not looking at him. At the lack of response, his friend continued. “Jisung, I caught you watching a scene of him on your phone and when I asked you about it, you panicked, threw off the phone to the ground and claimed that you were watching porn.”

He could reply and try to make an excuse for it, but he knew it was impossible. Jihoon left him in an alley with no way out. He pouted, murmuring. “It was.. Just a few seconds, okay, I had to check if the snow was realistic enough...”

“You were watching him for 5 solid minutes.”

“Park Jihoon, stop investing your time in my life!” Jisung grabbed the pillow next to them, ready to physically fight Jihoon if he continued exposing him like that. 

“I’m serious, Jisung. You can keep fooling yourself, but not me.”

The room fell into an awkward silence, no one daring to say another word. Jihoon was unamused, eyes still closed and his lips in a thin line. Jisung sighed, laying next to Jihoon again and fixing his own mask. He couldn’t avoid the topic neither deny it, so Jisung chose to stay silent. He didn’t talk to Jihoon when the alarm signaled that they ran out of time, or when Jihoon made dinner. Not even when they went to sleep, questioning himself if he really liked Minho or how Minho was able to portray the character in the way he liked. It was probably the latter.

“No, I am okay. Felix, stop.” He slipped away from Felix’s grip, sighing and holding the script again. He looked at the other actors next to them and how they were attracting their attention.

“Jisung, how many hours did you sleep today? Do I have to call Jihoon?”

“I am okay, please, drop it.” Jisung understood where the concern was coming from, Jisung wearing a hoodie and glasses, third coffee on hand in less than two hours, and he was sensitive. He needed perfection. “The break ends up in 3 minutes or so anyways.”

Felix still complained about something similar to “at least please sit down” and “I hate you when you are so obstinate”, but Jisung's attention was no longer on him. Seungmin approached them, agreeing with Felix and asking him to let him finish the recording. Another voice joined them, kind of far but clear. 

“Hey, Jisung.” Jisung sighed, turning to see who was claiming him now, ready to say that everything was in the script and that it wasn’t that hard, but he found Minho sitting down in a chair and patting his legs. “If you don’t want to keep standing, may I suggest sitting in my lap? Much recommended. Great comfort quality.”

“Oh, thank you hyung!” Before he could reply, Seungmin was already pushing him until they reached Minho, practically forcing him to sit there. “Jisung will accept it gladly.”

Seungmin took the script away from his hands, telling everyone that he was now in charge of directing the following scene and that the break was over. Felix sticked out his tongue like a small child, and Jisung didn’t know if making a scene would be worth it considering how tired he was and how stupid his friends were. Minho grabbed the sleeve of his hoodie, pulling him closer, his eyes pleading him to just accept it and sit down with him.

Jisung eyed the room, observing that he had no way out of escaping and sitting elsewhere, faking a sigh and letting himself flop in Minho’s legs. Luckily, the older would grow tired of his weight. He didn’t want to talk, either.

“Are you comfortable?” Minho asked, his arms surrounding his waist and his chin resting on his shoulder. It was more comfortable than Jisung wanted to admit, Minho was warm and cozy, his arms finding the perfect place to slide in and kept Jisung close.

“Y-Yeah...”

“See? I told you it’s of great quality.” He giggled, tightening the grip. Jisung moved one of his hands to his hands, touching them carefully. Minho’s skin was soft, just like this side of him he was discovering. It was comfortable too, not only his lap, but his company. Maybe Jisung was too tired to think, or he was already dying, not questioning how he was now trying to hold Minho’s hand.

Minho interlocked their fingers, squeezing Jisung’s hand and giggling. Jisung closed his eyes, the voices of the scene facing out in the background and only Minho’s laugh resonating inside of his head. It was funny, and beautiful. It made Jisung want to laugh too, but he only managed to smile slightly. 

“Did you not get enough sleep?” 

His voice was low, close to Jisung’s ear. He liked it, too. Minho sounded concerned, but considering how bad Jisung looked today, anyone would be worried. Jisung started talking, not thinking about whether he wanted Minho to know about his problems. “I had a double shift at the Café yesterday, and a project I forgot was due for this morning. Had to sacrifice something.”

“Wouldn’t it be better if you leave it here for today? Seungmin can manage directing alone. And he has Felix too.”

“I want to see.”

“You are not looking, though.”

Jisung turned a little, finally facing Minho. It was a sight he wasn’t used to. He had to look down to find Minho’s eyes, his trade-mark smirk and his puffy cheeks. Jisung felt the urge to squish them, to grab Minho’s head and move it side to side in a rough way. He also wanted to complain how he was fully aware of Hyunjin’s acting with other boys, but remained quiet. Minho’s eyes dropped from his eyes to somewhere, but Jisung couldn’t figure out where, too focused on the mole Minho had on his nose. They were close, but not close enough to blind Jisung’s eyesight and limit it to Minho’s eyes, taking his time to appreciate his features. Minho’s voice took him out of his thoughts, as usual. 

“Jisung,” Minho murmured, and Jisung hummed. He moved his arms, turning his body a little to face Minho better and held onto his chest for support. “What if I kissed you right now?”

Breath. Jisung held his breath, ignoring the mini-Jihoon in his mind that was screaming that he had to act like he knew what he was doing, like he was in control, hard to get, because Lee Minho wanted to kiss him _again_.

“You want to kiss me that bad that you are willing to make it in front of everyone?”

“Yeah, actually, I think I made it pretty clear since the start.”

“Then do it.”

Minho didn’t wait for a second approval, taking Jisung’s lips with his own. It was short at first, probably making sure Jisung wanted it and didn’t say it just to test if Minho really would do it. It tasted like coffee, but Jisung couldn’t make sure if it was his own taste or Minho’s. 

He kissed Minho again, letting his arms circle Minho’s neck and closing any kind of gap between them. Minho gripped his hands on his hips, keeping Jisung in place. He imagined Minho would be good at kissing, just like everything he does, but he never thought about him enjoying it this much.

It was a turning point, Jisung knowing that he could not live on without kissing Minho again, all his concerns and exhaustion fading away in that moment. Minho was making magic with him, or maybe Minho was magic by itself. Hard to reach, unbelievable and likeable by everyone. Addicting. 

Minho smiled through the kiss and pressed harder, not letting Jisung run away from the kiss. Jisung couldn’t do it even if he wanted, all his claims of hating Minho already in the trash can because there was no way he could hate someone who kissed him like that. It was more than a mere kiss, he could feel Minho touching his heart and making him relax, to ease his problems and to give him peace. Minho could be a gift sent to him, and he would gladly accept it. 

He didn’t tell Jihoon about it when he arrived home, though.

Jisung hummed the song blasting at the Café, enjoying the quietness of the place at 10 am on a Sunday, only a customer reading next to the window. He was sweeping the floor, thinking about how well they were sticking to the schedule and how the movie would be finished in a month and a half. The bell rang, making him stop and look at the door.

“Welcom-...”

“Hi, Sungie.”

Minho stood there, wearing a long scarf and red cheeks, a big trench coat covering his body. He didn’t expect to see Minho there, in a Café next to their uni, at this hour. On a Sunday. “Oh, hyung.” He took a moment to look at himself, to see if he looked presentable enough, and then looked again at Minho. “I.. Didn’t think I would see you around here.”

“I asked for your shift, actually.” They both stand in front of each other, looking everywhere but avoiding eye-contact. It was their first conversation since they kissed on Friday, and the realization of Minho kissing him and him asking for his shift sinking it. Before he could blame it on Seungmin, Minho spoke. “Chan is my neighbour. We… Grew up together.” 

Jisung blinked twice, definitely not expecting Minho knowing Chan. There was something different in the way Minho was treating him, the way he was talking and looking like, no make-up on sight and tousled hair. Jisung thought about what he should say, if he should offer him a seat or if he would like to order something, not wanting to step on and confront the situation.

“Oh, hyung! You came.”

Changbin appeared next to Minho, offering his hand and greeting each other. Jisung almost dropped the broom, not expecting Changbin to know Minho too, not when he already talked with Changbin about Minho multiple times, updating him on how the recording was doing or how he still hated Minho.

“You knew him?”

“Never say I didn’t, Sung.” Changbin smiled, winking in his direction. Jisung wanted to hide more than ever, wondering if Changbin knew about their kiss, or if Changbin told Minho about how he talked about him. “Why don’t you rest for a while and drink something with hyung?”

Jisung reacted quickly, replying to Changbin as soon as he spoke. “I am work-”

“Save it. There are no customers. And I know what you both would like to drink and eat. Just go and sit down.”

And that was how Jisung ended up sitting in front of Minho in one of his favorite tables, eyeing how Minho was taking off his coat and revealing his clothes. It was the first time Jisung saw him wearing his regular clothes since the first meeting, used to see him always wearing the same clothes for the movie. Minho knew how to complement clothes, and probably knew what colors suited him best. If Jisung could, he would switch the ugly green sweater Minho has to wear at the end for the pink one he was wearing right now. 

He had to say something before it became more awkward, before Changbin returned with their orders and found that they were not talking. Jisung spoke, just as Minho started talking. 

“So-” “Jisung-”

“Sorry,” Jisung said, and Minho giggled, trying to get Jisung to make eye contact with him and eyeing his uniform. Jisung felt way too exposed, eyes fixed on his own fists in his lap and thinking about how uncomfortable the situation was. He had nothing to say actually, and Minho started with his name, so it must be important. “You first, hyung.”

“How… How did you meet Changbin and Chan hyung? I doubt that you applied for working here first.”

“Why?”

“Chan once said he will only allow people who feel like family to work here.”

Jisung chose to stay silent, wishing he had his coffee already so he could drink and avoid replying. It was unfair, in a way. Minho sounded like he knew more about him than he pretended, and wondered if he was just faking that he didn’t know how they met.

“Since when do you know?”

“Since Changbin texted me with the music for the kiss scene and asked me if I was working with you.” Minho explained, relaxing into his seat. It made Jisung relax too, knowing that it was Changbin the one who went to him and not the other way round. Changbin was very curious, and probably went for a second opinion about his music. Now, Minho’s support when he proposed the song. “He was the one who told me about your usual coffee, if you still wonder about it. I said I wanted to do something to get closer to you and he suggested coffee.”

Jisung smiled, eyeing Changbin at the counter, cutting a slice of his favorite cheesecake. “Thank you for that, though. I think I never got the chance to thank you.”

“It was the least I could do, you work so hard for this project it makes me feel like I want to pay you for your hard work.” Jisung got surprised at Minho’s honesty, finally daring to look at his eyes directly. It made him freeze in his tracks, he couldn’t take his eyes away. It was different, the look was giving to him, and Jisung’s mind was running to decipher what it meant. “I wish you rested more.” 

Changbin approached their table, and when Jisung said thank you, he meant it for both: Changbin for his help, and Minho’s for his sincerity. He also felt kind of dumb for thinking that Minho had to have something bad, something not worth it, that he was hiding something and that he could not be that good. But he was. And he was genuinely concerned about him.

Jisung wanted to know more about Minho, to show him and he also had interest in him, so he started the topic as he shipped his coffee with a small smile on his face. “What made you choose acting, hyung?”

They talked for a while, Minho mentioning how he liked the feeling of being someone else and escaping the reality sometimes, being able to know a character in depth and bringing them to life. It was something he liked since he did theatre back then in primary school, deciding that he had to devote his life to that. 

Jisung loved to hear people talking about their dreams being accomplished, about how happy following them made that person, and he admitted to himself that he liked to hear Minho talking. It was something he noticed when he saw him acting, thinking that his voice would be perfect for a narrated scene or for a radio program he would listen to at 3 am. 

Before he could process the words coming out of his mouth, Jisung was already telling Minho how he liked to do music. He told Minho how he met Changbin and Chan when they were looking for another songwriter and singer, and that he just got into that. Jisung loved writing lyrics the most, the feeling of creating something with both of his hands and letting people feel what he wanted to transmit. It was incredible to think that a sound could make someone’s mood change. Thanks to him. Jisung’s dream was once being able to make someone cry just by listening to his music, and Minho saddened when Jisung confessed he doesn’t do music anymore. 

“Why?”

Minho questioned, his hand resting on the table, like an offer to Jisung. He doubted whether he should take it or not, preferring not to do it for the moment.

“I don’t know. I liked cinema too. And everything that goes around this career, but the more I do I think I grow up tired of it a little bit. I don’t want music to follow that path, you know? I want to enjoy doing music forever. I will have time later, and I am still in touch with Chan and Changbin. We can make great things in the future.”

Minho took the lead and reached out to take Jisung’s hand, squeezing it and smiling. “I will be looking forward to it, Jisung. I am sure your music is amazing, just like you.”

“Can I walk you home?”

Jisung lifted his head from his notebook, stopped writing and looked at Minho staying next to him. They had to fix the schedule, adjusting the availability of some extras that couldn’t attend some sessions or had exams, and Jisung planned to spend the next 2 hours checking all the calendars.

“Oh, um, I… I planned to stay here a little bit more, to check up with what we recorded today and everything… And the timetables...”

“Jisungie.”

Minho knew that Jisung shouldn’t be doing that right now, after 3 hours of recordings and talking with everyone. He deserved a rest, and Minho understood that Jisung had to lead the carriage, but not now. He could do that at any other time. 

“Sorry, but...”

“I am listening.”

It was amazing how a week made them change. They talked, just talked, making the emotional distance between them decrease. Minho worried everyday and asked if he rested enough, remembered his other classes and exams, brought him coffee when Jisung tweeted he would die for one, and called him at night once when he couldn’t sleep. Jisung was getting too attached to Minho, to what Minho was making him feel, and it was scary to question it when he had this amount of work left. 

“It’s.. Hard, you know, all this pressure. Everyone believes in me. I have to do it well, I have to be outstanding, and the other day the teacher told me that my future may kind of depend on this movie.” Jisung closed his notebook and stood up, searching if there was anyone left in the room. They were alone, like usual. Minho waited until everyone left to ask Jisung, to make him comfortable enough to talk about how he felt for real. “I… I am not sure I can meet their expectations, hyung.”

“I am sure you do, Jisung. Your work is awesome. I am in love with this movie, and everyday I wait for my boring classes to end, and I rush here and I make sure I remember all the scenes we are recording so I can impress you, to make you feel proud and for this movie to be successful. I think everyone thinks like me.”

It made him speechless, too focused on the way Minho was looking at him. He reached to touch his hand, and Jisung took it gladly. Minho had a slight touch of red on his cheeks, and Jisung knew it wasn’t for the make-up or because it was freezing outside. Minho confessed that he waited for the recordings all the day, that he wanted to impress Jisung - that he was in love with his movie. 

He felt thankful, something warm in his chest, and the urge of kissing Minho. His lips looked so inviting, a little bit hurt from biting but the gloss still there. Jisung took a step closer but lowered his head. 

“Thank you for trusting me.”

“I am so thankful we met each other, baby.”

Their gazes interlocked, and Jisung felt under Minho’s spell again. He nodded, not trusting his own words, shaking because he didn’t expect Minho to call him baby, and tiptoed until he kissed him. It was short, unlike their last kiss, but Jisung felt like that was enough. He didn’t know if it was proper, or why he did it. Maybe he was looking for the feeling Minho made him feel when they kissed first, or maybe he just felt like kissing Minho. 

Minho hugged Jisung, and Jisung hugged him back, hiding his head on Minho’s chest. He felt taken care of, and nodded when Minho asked again to walk him home. Everything could wait for a while if that meant time with Minho.

It was an unusual sight, Minho looking tired and messing up with his lines every three sentences. Jisung cut the recording, stepping in front of Minho and taking him away. He left him on a chair and went to talk with Seungmin, seeing if they could record something else or fix anything while he talked with Minho. It was making him genuinely worried, not knowing how to act. However, Minho was there then Jisung needed him, and he wanted to be there for him.

After a few minutes and a call, Jisung was back with Minho, bending down next to his chair. He held his hand instinctively, not questioning the looks Felix was sending to them. 

“Hey, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I am sorry. Had a bad day.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“It’s just that… I talked with my mum. She doesn’t like me acting, she wants me to take a normal job and have a decent life. She doesn’t understand I want to pursue my dream, even after 4 years of career. Can you believe it? And-” Jisung squeezed his hand, hoping Minho would continue talking but letting him know that he was listening, that he was there- “And she called me today saying that she saw on the news that I got casted for another drama and that I should have let her know first. Isn’t it too hypocritical? It was the first time she called me in the whole year, Sungie.”

Jisung didn’t know what to reply or what to say, unsure about what Minho wanted. It sounded more like a rant, a question that should be left unanswered, but Jisung appreciated Minho shared it with him. “Is there something I can do for you? Should I go and buy you-?”

“Can we kiss?” Jisung got up, finding Minho’s eyes pleading him for a kiss. It was the first time they approached the topic, asking directly for it since that time. They kissed a few times after that, when Minho dropped Jisung at home once or when Jisung went to Minho’s building and brought him coffee before an exam. Jisung was still unsure of bringing the topic out, of talking about what was happening between them, but maybe their kisses relaxed Minho too - and he wanted him to be happy again. At Jisung’s silence, Minho tried to explain himself. “I think I really need to be kissed right now. By you. It would be great. It would make me feel better. Please.”

He let go of his hand, sitting in his lap, just like the first time they kissed, and joined their lips together. Minho accepted him gladly, sliding his hand on Jisung’s cheek and pressing his lips harder. When Jisung felt Minho smiling, he knew his job there was done.

Jisung wasn’t one with a big ego, or a boy full of himself. He knew he was good at his job, and he only searched for perfection when it was needed; and he knew this movie was his masterpiece.

They managed to finish it a week before Christmas, giving everyone time to rest before the screening. Jisung was eyeing an online shop, deciding with Felix which shirt would suit him best since he had to step on the stage and explain how they worked on the movie, as the director. 

Seungmin and Jeongin were playing something on their phones in the background, when Jisung’s phone rang. He remained unbothered, his conversation with Felix about why he couldn’t wear a printed shirt way more interesting than whoever was calling him. Jeongin spoke, reaching to grab Jisung’s phone. 

“Hyung, someone is calling you.”

“Not now Jeongin, I am busy.”

“Okay, let me tell Minho hyung by myself,” Seungmin took the phone from Jeongin’s hands, and before Jisung could react, he put Minho on speakers.

_“Baby? Hii um, I was wondering if you had plans after the screening? I found a very cool restaurant close to the place and hm...”_

Jisung panicked, Minho speaking sweetly to him and all of his friends listening to it. He didn’t know how he did it, but he managed to hide perfectly the fact that Minho and he kissed sometimes. They knew that they grew up closer to each other, with the excuse of the movie, but Jisung knew he had no way out to explain why Minho was calling him baby or why he was asking him out to dinner. He felt observed, all eyes on him and all kinds of expressions in the room. Minho asked for him, and Jisung realized he had to actually reply to him. 

“Hi hyung hm, I don’t have any, I think.”

_“Oh cool, would you like to go out on a date then?”_

That couldn’t be happening to him. Seungmin was dead-ass looking at him, visibly angry, and Felix threw himself on the floor, probably trying not to scream. Jisung didn’t want to see Jeongin, deciding to close his eyes and hating he had to make that choice in front of his friends. 

He wanted, of course he wanted to say yes, he hoped that they weren’t talking about their situation because Minho knew he was stressed enough, but he wasn’t expecting him dropping the question as soon as the recording ended. It made him happy, and nervous, knowing that he had to deal with both the project and his heart on the same day, on Christmas. 

“I would love to, hyung.”

_“Great. I will book the place, okay?”_

“Okay.”

_“Do you want me to pick you up too before going to the event?”_

“Oh, I can’t. I already agreed on that with the boys.”

_“Okay. I’ll be waiting for you after the movie, then.”_

“Okay.”

 _“Okay.”_ Minho laughed, and Jisung wished for a moment for him to be physically with them. He smiled, ignoring the looks his friends were still giving him.

“Thank you, hyung.”

_“You’re meeting the guys later, right? Hyunjin said Seungmin was going to your house.”_

“Actually, we are here already.” Seungmin dared to speak, and Minho laughed instantly. He probably catched up with the situation, why Jisung took his time to speak and why he wasn’t talking as he used to when Minho called.

_“Great to know, that explains why Jisung sounded so stiff. I was getting worried. Well, I am not bothering you anymore, have fun!”_

And he hung out. Seungmin locked his phone, and Jeongin was the first one to ask Jisung. 

“Well, I think it’s pretty clear how uncomfortable hyung is and how much he hates Minho, right?”

“Yeah, I thought the same when I saw them sucking each other’s face off the other day at the recording.” Felix commented, finally sitting properly on the floor.

“What? You saw us?”

“I can’t believe I missed that,” Seungmin said, and proceeded to ask Jisung what was going on between them. He couldn’t say much, augmented that he was still processing it and that they found confort on each other, that Minho knew his co-workers and that he was genuinely concerned about him. His friends smiled, claiming that they saw it coming from the start, and Jisung threatened to kick them out. 

He hoped they knew that he was grateful to have them, to not question it at the time of the truth, and for helping him to choose the clothes he should wear. He was never one for Christmas since he was ten, but with the premise of the movie and Minho, this year looked promising.

The screening went great, more than he could have imagined, his classmates giving him a big bouquet of flowers and a card wishing him the best, his professor saying he succeeded in the course with honours and that he loved his work. His friends told him that they knew he could do it, and he would never bring out how Seungmin ended up crying. 

Personally, he was pretty satisfied with how the movie turned out. The scene of Minho with the snow was still his favorite, the end with both his character and Hyunjin’s spending Christmas together and forgetting how they fought over a girl, valuing more their friendship over a girl who played with both. Jisung loved that story since he was a child, feeling grateful for being able to do an adaptation and direct it - and for having Minho as the main character.

Lee Minho was perfect for Jisung. He knew by first hand how he was nice to everyone in the set, kind enough to give a stranger a coffee if he looked like he was needing one. Jisung remembered how Minho once talked with him about Zane, the little boy he was sponsoring; how he called at his door late at night to take him out to meet the stray cats he used to feed, or how he asked Jisung if he wanted to go to an event they were organizing in his animal shelter. Despite everything, Minho didn’t doubt a second to open to Jisung, letting him touch and reach his heart. Jisung knew he couldn’t ask for more when Minho took his hand and kissed him before going up on the stage, wishing him luck and reminding him how good his work was. 

Contrary to his thinking, Minho had no ego nor the necessity of being the center, and Jisung could make a long list about every little thing he loved about Minho. How he listened to his concerns, dealt with his perfectionist ass and didn’t care to pick him when he finished work late - despite living far away. That was why he would trust Lee Minho with his own life.

Maybe love was a strong word, and Jisung didn’t realize he meant it until he saw Minho waiting for him in the exit with a bouquet of daisies. Maybe it was when he kept going back to the snow scene, to hold his hand when they walked together or to anticipate his calls. 

Minho was wearing a red suit, his hair perfectly styled and a brown make up Jisung loved. He felt nervous, looking at him, and not knowing how to approach him. As always, Minho was not afraid of doing it for him. 

“Hey baby, you were amazing before.” He offered Jisung the bouquet, who took it and smelled the flowers. Minho smiled, admiring how pretty Jisung looked next to the flowers. 

“Thank you, hyung. I love daisies.”

“They suit you. Do you know how hard they were to find? The florist gave me a bad look when I asked if they had daisies.” Jisung laughed and reached for Minho’s hand as a habit, ready to walk and go to have dinner, but Minho stood still. “You know, hm, Jisung...”

“Yes?”

“I like you. A lot.”

Warmth creeped out of Jisung’s face, cheeks burning and a smile threatening to go out. Jisung lowered his head, trying to hide behind the flowers. It was something he assumed already, but hearing those words from Minho’s mouth was way better than he expected.

When he looked back at Minho, he was already looking at him, observing every moment. His eyes were sparkling, and Jisung just noticed that it was snowing. Real snow suited Minho better than their cheap cg. He had a smirk on his face, as usual when he said those things to Jisung, waiting for him to react. 

“I supposed you do.”

“And I was hoping you liked me back.” He shortened the distance, keeping their bodies close and Jisung worried about the bouquet, giving Minho a bad look and pouting.

“I don’t. You want to kill my daisies.”

“Do I?”

“Yeah, all this Christmas-date is a facade and you just want to steal my flowers.”

Both laughed, and Minho bent down a little to join their foreheads. 

“Well, I guess I have to take you out on a fancy dinner for you to agree on being my boyfriend.”

He rubbed their noses together, focusing now on Minho’s features. It didn’t matter how many times he looked at them, from far or up close, he loved every one of them.

“Let me kiss you first. I think I deserve it too.” Minho giggled, the sound Jisung loved the most, and joined their lips together. It was cold, freezing, and he felt his fingers getting numb, but he wished he could kiss Minho there under the snowing dark sky, with only the stars as their expectators. He stopped the kiss, keeping Minho close and surrounding his neck with his own arms, forcing him to bend a little. “If you still have doubts, I like you a lot, stupid.”

He still hated how perfect he was, how he slided so perfectly in his life and how he kept all his pieces in their place, how he dealt with him and how honest he was. But, if he had to be honest with himself, he hated how easy it was to love Minho and let himself fall in love with him. 

Jisung kissed Minho again, and again, thinking how he already had his Christmas gift.

**Author's Note:**

> hi! i hope that you enjoyed the fic!  
> please let me know what you think about it and i hope you have a nice holidays!
> 
> also i hope that the one who requested this prompt is satisfied with it, i've tried my best to incorporate any christmas element to it and i hope i fulfilled the requirements ;;


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